Analysis of India’s Sports Goods Industry Published: 23rd March, 2015 Last Edited: 16th January, 2018 Disclaimer: This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers. You can view samples of our professional work here. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UK Essays. The Sports Goods Industry was founded by Sardar Bahadur, Sardar Ganda Singh Oberoi in the year 1883 at Sialkot and Sports Equipment became the first Indian Industrial Product to be exported in 1885.The Sports Good Sector consists of both organised and unorganized sections of the industry. The Indian Sports Goods Industry thus has its origins in Sialkot, Pakistan. When India got partitioned in 1947, many Hindu artisans migrated from Sialkot to Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in India. Jalandhar is the most primary centre of India’s Sports Goods Industry followed by Meerut in UP and Gurgaon in Harayana. India is one of the largest producers of footballs and other inflated balls. The Indian Sports Goods Industry has grown tremendously since 1947. Some of the products like Cricket bat, ball, football and nets have been steadily gaining fame all over the world. The Sports goods Industry has grown by leaps and bounds in the past five decades and has contributed significantly to the Indian Economy by way generating employment, exploiting the rural and urban potential and also by way of exports, which are increasing every year. The Indian sports goods industry manufactures more than 300 items. United kingdom is the one of the major importer of sports goods manufactured in India followed by countries like USA, Germany, France and Australia. Some of the major items that are exported include inflatable balls, hockey sticks and balls, cricket bats and balls, boxing equipment, fishing equipment, indoor games like Carrom and Chess boards and some protective items. The sports Goods Industry thus provides a useful livelihood avenue and has helped preserve traditional skills acquired over generations. As some exquisite sports products require highly skilled processes to be followed for their production, the need for skilled workers in the industry is even more prominent inspite of the introduction of automated systems. After liberalization of India and introduction of the WTO agreements, sports goods sector is experiencing tremendous competition from foreign brands. Currently, the industry in mainly focused in the small-scale and cottage sector backed by some of the government’s liberalized industrial policies. There is also a wide scope for improving the marketing of products and modernizing the technology used for manufacturing them. SPORTS GOODS INDUSTRY IN INDIA The Sports goods industry is divided into various manufacturing clusters. We would be discussing the clusters of Jalandhar, Meerut and Kashmir in detail as follows: Manufacturing cluster of Jalandhar: This cluster is called a transplanted cluster, as a major segment of this cluster which was originally part of Sialkot, Pakistan moved to Jalandhar on India’s partition. It is an important supplier of quality sports goods to more than 130 countries including some of the developed nations of the world. The Jalandhar cluster is also the only cluster to introduce the concept of machine-stitched footballs to meet the demands of the FIFA world cup 2010 and beyond. Skilled workers engaged in this industry are the most important parts elements in the production and are settled in camps adjacent to the manufacturing unit. The entrepreneurs setting up modern units with mechanized production systems are shifting to open space with more area to achieve better results and are away from crowded localities. The official estimate of the total number of persons working in the industry in about 1,70,000 while the unofficial estimate is 3,00,000. MANUFACTURING CLUSTER OF MEERUT: There are about 1250 registered and 2000 unregistered big and small sports goods manufacturing units providing direct and indirect employment to approximately 70,000 persons in the Meerut District of Uttar Pradesh. Supporting organizations have also grown to supply adequate quantity of raw materials to the sports goods industry and to provide training to the workers during the last few years. At the same time many schemes are operational for the development of the cluster. If given the right business opportunity to the sports goods manufacturers, this cluster can flourish. The production is low because the units are not mechanized as only 20% of them use machinery. Also latest technology is not available which acts as a deterrent in respect of the competition from China, Pakistan, etc. About 60% total production is being exported to Australia, South Africa, England, America, West-Indies, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh etc., through middle men and the remaining products are sold in the domestic market across India. There are various government bodies that help in the monitoring the progress and development of the cluster. These are listed and described briefly as under: Directorate of Industries, U.P.: This Government body is supporting the cluster in every respect by providing training, Technical Support etc. Process cum Product Development Centre (PPDC): It meets the technical needs of sports goods industry throughout the country in collaboration with Govt. of U.P. All India Sports Goods Manufacturers Federation (AISGMF): It supplies the information, technology and technical training to the Industry. It also arranges the raw material for the Industry. Export Promotion Bureau: It helps the small manufacturers to collect their product in one platform or the other so that they could export their product to other countries on low prices. Cricket Bats Manufacturing Cluster in Kashmir: The history of cricket bat industry in Kashmir goes back to pre-partition days when Sialkot (Pakistan) was the sports goods centre. With the partition of the Indian sub-continent, the skilled craftsmen of Sialkot shifted to Jalandhar, Meerut and the cleft makers of Kashmir turned toward newly established centers. In due course of time, the demand of the cricket bats in the country increased and cricket bats started getting manufactured to meet this demand. The finest willow is English Willow, followed by Kashmir Willow for manufacturing cricket bats. Over 80% of all cricket bats today are manufactured in Jalandhar, Meerut, Kashmir and Jammu cities. All of them depend on Kashmir for their willow clefts. World famous Kashmir Cricket bats industry is now facing a slow death. Cricket Bat Manufacturers Association revealed that out of a total 300 cricket bat manufacturing units in Kashmir valley, half of them have shut their units. The cricket bat industry is battling for survival in the state. Jammu region, which boasted of 77 cricket bat manufacturing units a few years back, has now a mere 10 units, while the scenario in Kashmir valley is no different. Major Sports Goods Production Centers/Clusters and Product Categories: Major Sports Goods manufacturing clusters and major product categories of sports goods produced are compiled in the following table: Sl. No. Location/ Cluster Major Product Categories 1. Jalandhar Inflatable ball( Soccer /Rugby/Volley/Net/ Hand & Basket ball) in PU & PVC Boxing Equipment Cricket Equipment Sports ware Track and Field Equipments>